Chapter 69
UJiYOG“I’ll go.”D7dFP
YOnUnlike before, the response came from someone without the slightest hesitation.XJe0U
kQl65A moment later, upon identifying who had spoken, Verónica screamed almost like a shriek.0py
v8J3“Tristan!”I4S6
A9piBs“Father is right. Taxes and army. These are basic duties that every lord must fulfill. If someone can’t even meet something so elementary, then he’s not fit to be a baron, much less a grand duke.”OjdtnIY
DNOFaced with her son’s firm attitude, Verónica could no longer speak and only waved her hands in distress. Tristan glanced briefly at his mother, pale as a sheet, and then turned to the grand duke.rS7HIN
uVUO“And if no one had stepped forward here, father would’ve chosen the third as the next head of the family. Am I wrong?”MfmBn
J7IPm“…!”YAm
tc0WaNot only Verónica, but also the other wives and brothers were horrified by Tristan’s words.kou
L5lgJEAll eyes turned to the grand duke, but he simply nodded calmly.gCQtDcR
9sp7“That’s right. That was my intention.”5qfQW2
3ej“D-dear!”GeUv
MTTN“An age of chaos is coming. The Empire is weaker than ever, and unstable elements are looking for opportunities everywhere. Even though His Majesty revealed the Empire’s hidden strength, there are no signs that those people’s momentum has diminished.”LI1Ubyn
Rgy“In times of emergency, emergency decisions must be made.”XF2x5
iSBBTristan quoted an old proverb in response to his father’s words—one that said in critical situations, bold decisions must be made, even if it means ignoring procedure and tradition.kl0
1rEJK5“Father wants an heir fit for the turbulent era that’s coming.”Ev8Qx8
0wbL“If it were a time of peace, I would have observed your capabilities more carefully. But in chaotic times, it’s different. A single moment of hesitation is enough to be swept away and disappear in the tide of history.”0pqUqg
VdCjNo matter how great a ruler’s qualities might be, if they fall before using them, they’re worthless.bMJM
sVQgIn a chaotic era, the ability to read the broader situation and respond decisively was far more important than simply governing a territory well.nL7zYg6
wcKE9“The third already proved long ago that he has that ability. The ones lacking were all of you.”Vm3B
RfrMc“Could it be that you asked us to accompany you to the battlefield so…?”SnRLT
MWLIyP“If, even while knowing they could lose the position of heir, they don’t dare step forward—do we need to test anything else?”acCK
LwK6h3“…!”OO7lKtc
EQ4U“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the time has come yet to hastily decide the heir.”ajk
dIe9dWith a slight smile, Grand Duke Sigmund looked at Tristan. The face of his eldest son—who had secluded himself after failing to recruit Felicia—was gaunt, but his eyes burned with unwavering determination.Q7Bu0V
yoVxn“Let’s see your skills after all this time. Do you remember my teachings?”mCcM
Mp7yjCf“Remember them? I’ll show them directly on the battlefield.”93QO
unlS“Mm, good answer.”mYg
3cIdIAt the grand duke’s satisfied expression, the family’s emotions were divided.gQWDl
DHNIn practice, this was equivalent to declaring that the next head of the family would be decided between Lucian and Tristan.E44ssVZ
weG***RVdzsOd
B5EeH‘How strange…’0CY
FGSRAfter the family meeting ended, Lucian frowned while rubbing his chin.xyKVEa
conxHe had become one of the two candidates, but instead of joy, he mostly felt confusion.B2K
ZpMaQqIt wasn’t dissatisfaction with his father’s decision, but rather with his brothers’ reactions.o31i
e9JA6‘Joshua was half out of his mind, which is normal. He got eliminated before doing anything. The truly strange one is Jordi.’JFYeIc
mt18IsThe Jordi Lucian knew would never accept someone other than himself becoming head of the family.gqwsHM
vbxoHe should have reacted more violently than anyone else upon hearing the grand duke’s declaration. However, throughout the entire meeting, Jordi remained far too calm.x40y
dpgHmr3He didn’t even throw a hostile glance when leaving.dgt
ws3vxH0‘What’s he scheming? Did the maternal family prepare another position for him? Even so, he’s not the type to give up the heirship so easily.’foQV5m
u9E7KfnAfter thinking about it a little, Lucian decided to set it aside. He didn’t have enough information to draw conclusions.4UVG
LdkmDIAnd above all, he had too many immediate matters to deal with.0LFEPY
xikrfi‘Let’s resolve the northern issue first. Now that I think about it, it’s about time Raymond officially came under my command…’leO2
l8lmi“Young master! Young master!”e6M
PZ2DxsLucian turned his head at the urgent call. It was one of Hugo’s subordinates, now serving as his aide.3NCiOXe
CEfq“What is it?”q62gc
P0eA“It’s finally finished!”iKa
CdcZd6p“Finished? What is?”goZ0DL
kYuv“The medicine for that kid you asked us about…!”S3dv
BKrv5qBefore he could finish speaking, Lucian rushed to him and covered his mouth.ShVt5i
WZIeL4Beside the now-pale servant’s lips, Lucian’s cold voice echoed.jCn
1Hj“When was it finished?”PXT
psBEzPy“T-this morning. If you want, I can bring it to you right away…”dR0yv
6f14dou“No, I’ll go myself. You go call Hugo.”iFv
NV8qLSuppressing the pounding in his chest, Lucian left the manor in a hurry.BkaeE
KocA9His destination was the underworld area, west of the inner castle.iJ7
QkVZHe walked confidently through the maze-like alleys, and upon reaching the place, knocked on the door.73V6zpe
380NClick.mS5eI
hEcE“Password.”Yxr
lVep“Look at my face.”FiY
V19“What are you talking about, idiot—w-whoa!”FV18e
hnQZThe thug who had looked up fiercely through the peephole flinched and stepped back in shock.NeIf
UM9N3h2With Lucian so close, he hadn’t recognized him immediately.ZqE
VAQ3Clank, creeeak.PV0JsS
KXASc“Y-young master, I’m so sorry! Please forgive me…”OZvVY
F4v“Enough. Where’s Ian?”yV1oe
9nmN“O-on the third floor! The third floor!”MGs
SaxVAs soon as he heard “third floor,” Lucian was already rushing up the stairs. Without even knocking, he threw the door open.16Yh
sxC0IIan, who was inside, looked surprised—but only for a moment. Right away, with a grin, he waved the vial he held in his hand.stlGrI
qFSl“Ta-daa! It’s finished, my lord!”PDJ
MkodAt the sight of the bluish liquid, Lucian’s eyes trembled hard.qoeqm
udxiHe lunged forward to grab the vial and felt a faint ripple of magical power seeping from inside.AW5Co
CJgDsyIt was much weaker than before, but the essence was the same.1Qx
cOFC8X‘It’s nothing like that degraded version I made myself. The intensity dropped, but the purity is practically the same as the nectar I drank before.’wdiPH
bljhj3Lucian examined the nectar he’d received from Ian from various angles.JUmKL5
GabrEg9At the very least, it didn’t seem like the magical power would explode immediately upon drinking, as it had last time.lvSfbMv
pTIPr“How different is the effect compared to the first one you made? How effective is it when consumed?”MXRmO
zge“I haven’t done clinical trials with knights, so I’m not sure. But it’s safe enough that even a normal person can drink it without any preparation.”GnrGz
qSJ“Who did you do the clinical trial on, then?”PMr
WNOLeZn“On myself.”Yj0LWH
Ca3XA“…”n9cHpC
73imWithout realizing it, Lucian gave Ian a cold stare.NzAvyJ
P7bAfter what had happened last time, he still tested it on his own body?1EdLNS7
Y13“I didn’t have a choice! Who else was I supposed to run a clinical trial on with something like this? If it worked, the effects of the medicine would be revealed right away!”vxLo
zDYDac“Or did you want to test your affinity by trying it yourself?”OZpfD5Y
2vRABBG“…Well, I won’t say that didn’t have any influence. But in any case, I lowered the concentration as much as possible and tested it drop by drop, so there’s no problem.”tFKTjGA
gOFMMBx“Huff…”JThD
jldhsbBSeeing Ian dodge the topic however he could, Lucian sighed. Scholars, as always.wCp
VKOXKKHe shook his head and, nectar in hand, fell into thought.XjEP3
0QylxL‘If I could, I’d rush out right now and hand one out to each person, but…’COU
grHy7The timing was too delicate. In a few days, he had to head north to punish the House of Count Calix.9pGwpJ
N8qEntering practically empty-handed into foreign territory, he would need to build allies on the ground. If he had this nectar, the process would be much smoother.oYeduix
yXwyE“How much has been produced so far?”tSyelK
ydCPg“Five vials.”MwF
VBfK“Can’t you make a few more in a week?”eP65swY
VN0iz“Impossible. To increase the purity, time is required, and a week is far too little.”PAfV748
5rPFive vials.bL6A92
e4xKG8FMore than enough as a result—perhaps even excessive—but still too few to distribute among all his subordinates.si1H7e
1KFR4NKMaybe after settling things in the north, but not for now.dVyfJ7T
TfSOStill, there was one person who deserved to drink it before anyone else.XUCpr
h7hV‘Hugo.’0W30ctU
0pg7HpThe first vassal who had sworn loyalty to Lucian, trusting only a vague promise of being made a knight.0gUzcUM
JMFAHzbIt would still take more time to fully fulfill that promise, but at the very least, he could give him a proper gift before then.d0s
OheU***wiwovL
Tgj“Huh? To the north?”51No
bj4QbHugo couldn’t hide his confusion at Lucian’s sudden words.AoZZ
ut42rqHe had just returned to the capital, and now they were talking about the north?L4uaa0
0MDjB“What happened this time? Going to scout for more talent?”6GwN
FYEb5wI“No. A rather troublesome problem has come up.”DAV9Vzd
f5fBLucian calmly explained the situation—how the name of House Grimaldi had been used without permission, how he intended to punish them for it, and that for this trip to the north, Hugo would go with him along with his unit of ten.ah0h
U5STI6“Considering distance, cost, and accommodations, ideally I’d go with only the minimum escort necessary. So this time, I need you to do your best.”EljR5T
195eH7“Leave it to me. And the other companions…?”1bB
TVl“Raymond and Felicia will go. Hans and Ian will stay behind in Kelheim, of course.”GSrn
sRdM“Understood. I’ll inform my men right away.”tFr3YiR
3U8CJigHugo bowed his head, but inside, he felt a bitter taste.LptB
hKE6kOAmong the vassals—aside from Hans—he was the most senior, and yet he had no one he could interact with comfortably.WsDH
LTT‘They say Raymond recently became the young master’s new vassal. I guess my standing will drop again.’jRxaoH
bE07GwcFelicia, the future Swordmaster, was in a class of her own, and not even the Black Lion Raymond was someone Hugo, a former underworld boss, could treat as an equal.khGvBN
LWxKbHans was Lucian’s closest confidant—though he lacked martial power, he handled the most delicate matters.dwb
DgqEven Ian, who had just joined—even if only higher in rank—was far beyond Hugo in terms of talent.W9IEhX
vlMEHuz‘He said he could produce valuable spiritual medicine. If that’s true, he’s on a whole different level than me.’biHKys
1QhHnZHe didn’t know exactly how potent the medicine was, but even the lower-grade ones had incalculable value.kYiwOLZ
JeFBeing able to produce them independently, without relying on the imperial palace, and give them to knights—that was truly terrifying power.P7hql
HGvDTaQ‘I’m thinking nonsense again. I can’t rush things. In the end, the young master promised to help me establish my own house.’dASe
rpuGCBSwallowing his bitterness, Hugo reaffirmed his loyalty inside. Even if his status kept falling,9lV
TcYam2JLucian hadn’t forgotten him and still entrusted him with responsibilities.Q62
I74iGCHow many lords out there discarded old subordinates the moment someone more useful showed up?mfDsK
DmUFUQg‘And still, I’m fortunate. Even with all these new talents, he still wants me by his side.’vIZJV1V
sph5wzhJust as Hugo, now calmer, was about to leave—kcA2rET
Dx9nlPb“Take this.”keHn
Xj7yJnLucian suddenly approached and handed him a vial with bluish liquid.Z8Iams9
BKBLPaHugo took it and asked cautiously.f1c
7J3qW“What is this? I’ve never seen a liquid that glows blue like this.”0NQQO
O9cHxmK“It’s spiritual medicine that Ian managed to produce today.”qWsQB
wZl“…!”Xy6
SX02“Drink it. You’ll be the first.”5hi
Ge4AbsbUpon hearing “the first,” Hugo’s body trembled.ggZnQ
lEoHe was being given the very first spiritual medicine—before anyone else?YomF
dcFXr2iWith trembling hands, he raised the vial.VuP2
S1vsKk‘This is… real spiritual medicine.’BRht
9vVsThe secret of alchemy that even many knights longed for but could never obtain.jWD
qXIGBA treasure among treasures, whose manufacture—even in basic form—was forbidden without imperial permission.3Wv
cai0And that priceless item had come into his hands before any other vassal’s.xJOB
PdxVj“Can I… really drink this?”Q7eaj
ejyFb“Of course. That’s why I gave it to you.”Yt8arVG
CIiihBtAt Lucian’s smiling response, Hugo hesitated briefly, opened the vial, and drank it in one gulp.PFzDFH8
29Z8Just as he was surprised by the refreshing sensation sliding down his throat and pulling the vial from his lips—x0IuZ
oiwQL“Hng…!?”aPMSj3
3EgHugo’s eyes flew wide open as he felt magical energy erupting powerfully from deep within his body.9FxqIMQ
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